Umbrella and overshoe rack



(No Model.)

H. J. SMITH & O. ROUNDS.-

UMBRELLA AND OVERSHOE RACK.

No. 322,987. Patented July23, 1885.

HOWARD J. SMITH AND OHRISTIANA ROUNDS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

UMBRELLA AND OVERSHOE RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322,987, dated July 28,1885.

Application filed January 7, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HOWARD J. SMITH and CHRISTIANA RoUNDs, citizens of the United States, and residents of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Umbrella and Overshoe Rack, of which the following is a specification. Y

Our invention relates to an apparatus for receiving and holding rubber shoes, umbrellas, canes, &c.,where they will be readily accessible; and it is especially adapted to receive the said articles when wet or muddy immediately after use, and to hold them in such manner that all drip and dirt which may come from them will be caught in a suitable receptacle and prevented from soiling the floor; and our invention further consists in so constructing the apparatus that it may be conveniently used in schools, clubs, hotels, and similar places where many persons are apt to congregate simultaneously, each person being enabled to find his own umbrella, cane and overshoes in a moment and without difficulty.

In the drawings, Figure l is a View of one form of our invention as adapted to schools, clubs, hotels, &c. and Fig. 2 is a view of another form adapted to be used in private families.

Referring to Fig. 1, A is a frame made of wood or any other suitable material, and of such shape, size, and relative dimensions as desired, but preferably not quite so high as an ordinary umbrella or cane; and across it atits upper part run partition pieces or strips 13 B, &c., which divide the frame crosswise into a number of separate compartments or sections, in which the umbrellas, canes, 850., are to be placed, their lower ends resting in the drippan or trough O, and the upper ends or handles preferably projecting upwardly above the upper portion of the frame A. There may be additional partition-pieces below those at the upper part of the frame, as desired, or the partitions may be continuous from at or near the top to the bottom of the frame, or as near it as desired.

0 is a drip-pan or trough, preferably of metal or metal lined, which extends the entire length of the frame and projects beyond it in front sufficiently to catch the drip from the rubbers placed in the pockets,hereinafter to be described. The drip-pan may be made all in one, so that it shall catch the drip from both the umbrellas and the rubbers, or as two separate pans, one for the drip from the umbrellas and the other for the drip and dirt which may drop from the rubbers; and we prefer to provide themwith an outlet, which may be simply a pipe to convey away the water, or it may be a larger opening, so that dirt, &c., which may fall from the muddy rubbers can be more conveniently removed by simply brushing it along the drip-pan until it drops through the opening into a pan, E, or other suitable receptacle placed underneath to catch the same,whieh may be conveniently removed and emptied when necessary. The pan E will also receive the drip from the umbrellas passing through a suitably-located outlet from the drip-pan which catches such drip.

F F F are tiers of pockets, somewhat re sembling vertical pigeon-holes,preferably contracted toward their lower end, and arranged one above the other. Three tiers are shown in Fig. 1; but there may be more or less of them, as desired. These pockets are made for the reception of the overshoes, rubbers, 850., and consist of a front piece, f, and frequent partition-pieces E, preferably narrower at the bottom than at the top to produce the contraction of the pockets extending from the front strip or piece, f, hack to the side of the main frame A and each row of pockets,taken vertically, is preferably arranged so as to come directly in front of one of the sections or subdivisions of the umbrella part of the device, heretofore described. The front of the main frame-that is to say, the part thereof which forms the rear side of the pockets seen at gis preferably lined with zinc or some other suitable metal, so that the drip and dirt which comes from the shoes may not injure or soil the frame, and be more readily conducted to the drip-pan beneath. The pockets are preferably made narrower at the bottom than at the top, preferably leaving an opening, how-' ever, at the bottom for the purpose of preventing the shoes from dropping through them, and also to limit the line of drip laterally, which drip passes down through the opening at the bottom of the pockets, so that the forparatus shown in Fig. 1, and the pockets may ward projection of the drip-pan may be as little as possible.

Ve prefer to support the apparatus on legs G G, so that the drip-pan E may be more conveniently inserted thereunder.

Inpractice we find it convenieht to number the pockets in each tier, and the umbrella compartment immediately behind each tier with corresponding numbers, as shown in Fig. 1. Thus, assuming the use to be in a school, each child will have his number assigned to him, and he will place his overshoes or rubbers in the pocket bearing the same number and his umbrella in the compartment which includes his number, and when he wishes them again he will know at once where to look, and will not be concerned with other rubbers than those in his particular pocket, nor with any umbrellas except the limited number in his particular compartment. The same plan can be carried out in club-houses and the like places, the pockets and umbrella compartments being lettered, for example, and the users depositing their articles according to the initial letter of their name.

In Fig. 2 we show one form of our invention adapted for use in private families. H represents a six-sided umbrella-stand, made of any suitable material. It may be, however, of any other suitable shape; and we prefer to provide some sort of base, (seen at 1,) in which it rests, and in the upper part of the base we prefer to form the drip-receptacle, (seen at t',) which, in the case shown in the drawings, is simply the outside edge of the pan, which occupies the entire central portion of the base within which the umbrellastand H is placed, as usual in such structures. K, &c., are the pockets, made in substantially the same manner as those described in Fi g. 1that is to say, of sufiicient width and depth to receive and hold overshoes, rubbers, and the like. The pockets shown in Fig. 2 are, however, separated from each other; and, instead of being made of wood, they may be stamped up from metal, or made in any other preferred manner and from any suitable material. This is also true of the pockets used on the larger apbe of such size as to accommodate in each a single shoe or one or more pairs of shoes; and, instead of being fastened to the sides of the umbrella-receiver, they maybe supported upon uprights extending from the base or in any other suitable manner.

WVe do not limit ourselves to the details of construction shown, since deviations from them will be at once apparent to any one familiar with such matters and yet our invention be embodied; and we do not limit ourselves to tapered pockets for the reception of the overshoes, Ste.

We are aware that Alexander Milne heretofore obtained a patent, dated April 29, 1879, No. 214,834, for a hat and umbrella rack, and do not lay claim to anything therein described or claimed.

Having described our invention, we claim 1. The combination of a receptacle for umbrellas and like articles, and pockets for the reception of overshoes, rubbers, and the like, said pockets being provided with an opening at or near their lower portion, and a suitably-. located drip pan or receptacle to catch and hold the drip and dirt which may come from the umbrellas, overshoes, &c., substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A vertically-arranged frame, jar, or like device or structure adapted to receive and hold umbrellas and like articles, divided into separate compartments, and provided with pockets adapted to receive and hold overshoes and the like articles placed upon the exterior of the umbrellaholding device, and a drippan placed beneath the pockets and adapted to catch the drip and dirt which may come from the umbrellas or the overshoes, or both, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a rack for overshoes, rubbers, and like articles, consisting of a frame or like structure having attached thereto vertically-arranged pockets open both at the top and bottom, adapted to receive and hold rubbers, overshoes, &c., and a drip-pan placed beneath the pockets to catch and retain the dirt and drip which may come from the overshoes, rubbers, &c., substantially as and for the purposes set forth. Signed at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, this 8th day of J anuary, A. D. 1885.

' HOWARD J. SMITH.

OHRISTIANA ROUNDS. Witnesses:

ANTONI Onasn, EDITH OTIS. 

